Overview

The Tufts CTSI Small Grants to Advance Translational Science (S-GATS) Program invites proposals for innovative projects that identify and test ways to overcome persistent scientific or operational barriers. These may include innovations that slow, limit, or prevent translation, or that investigate novel or insufficiently studied approaches for moving discoveries, evidence, research products, tools, methods, and interventions toward broader use and benefit.

Projects must advance the science of translation by generating generalizable knowledge or broadly applicable research products, methods, strategies, processes, frameworks, or principles. They should also present a clear and realistic pathway through which this contribution could improve research quality and efficiency, clinical care and health outcomes, health care delivery, community and public health, economic value, or policy or organizational decision-making.

Projects may address barriers or opportunities at any point along the translational pathway, from the development, validation, and evaluation of research products and approaches through their adoption, adaptation, implementation, dissemination, sustainment, scale-up, or spread. A particular disease or condition, intervention, population, health system, or setting may serve as a use case, provided that the project addresses a broader translational science question and generates knowledge or resources relevant beyond that use case.

Responsive S-GATS projects are expected to:

  • Define a Translational Challenge or Opportunity: Clearly define a persistent scientific or operational barrier the project will address, or the novel or insufficiently studied approach it will investigate. Explain why the challenge or opportunity represents a broader translational science question with relevance beyond the immediate study context.
  • Propose a Translational Science Study: Design a rigorous study that develops, tests, evaluates, or refines a generalizable contribution to understanding or addressing a translational barrier or opportunity. Where appropriate, the contribution may be developed or examined through one or more use cases. It may take the form of a research product, method, strategy, process, framework, standard, or principle. Examples include research methods and technologies, validation approaches, predictive models, decision support tools, operational processes, and strategies for adaptation, implementation, dissemination, sustainment, scale-up, or adoption.
  • Describe a Pathway to Broader Application and Benefit: Outline how the project’s findings, products, methods, or approaches could be shared with relevant users and positioned for further development, testing, application, or adoption. Identify relevant users and stakeholders, anticipated next steps, and measurable near-term outcomes appropriate to the project’s translational stage.

Award Information

  • One-year awards of up to $50,000 in direct costs.

Eligibility

  • Applications must designate a Principal Investigator (PI) with an appointment or position at a Tufts CTSI partner or collaborating organization.
  • Medical residents, fellows, post-doctoral fellows, or medical students are not eligible to serve as PIs. However, they may serve as key personnel, as may collaborators not affiliated with Tufts CTSI.

Application Process

  • RFAs are issued annually in late summer, typically in August or September.
  • A pre-application Letter of Intent (LOI) is required and competitively reviewed. Only invited applicants may submit a full proposal.
  • Prospective applicants must consult with the S-GATS Program team before submitting an LOI.

Additional Information

Questions?

We are here to help. Please contact us at sgats@tuftsmedicine.org with any questions or to schedule a virtual consultation.

Aviva Must, PhD, Program Director

Michael T. Chin, MD, PhD, Senior Advisor

Nadia Prokofieva, MSSc, Program Director, Research